Coincidence
by princesssparklesparkle
Summary: Hajime Hinata is a college student working as a part-timer at the local movie theatre, sweeping up popcorn and straw wrappers, when one day on the job, he literally runs into the creepy wallflower he saw at the party last week. And why does he keep coming back! Who is the real Komaeda, anyway? (somewhat yandere) KomaHina College!AU and some yaoi. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

"Excuse m-Oh?... _Oh..._ "

 _That was the first time I heard his voice._

* * *

 _Let's go back a week._

 _It was last Friday night, around 7pm, when I heard a knock coming from my dorm room door._

 _I answered, and before I could even get a single word out-_

 _"Go get ready," he demanded._

 _I sighed._

 _"Ya know, most people start off a conversation with a simple, 'hi, how are you'...What do you want?"_

 _Souda Kazuichi, was a high school acquaintance of mine whom I had shared most of my senior classes with. He coincidentally applied to the same college, coincidentally got in, and, would you believe, coincidentally (I hope you are getting my sarcasm here), lived on the same floor, just down the hall from me._

 _We didn't used to be friends or anything, but I guess seeing a familiar face in a big school is like finding a needle in a hay stack. So if I was ever out in public, minding my own business, and we just_ happen _to make eye contact, he would come over and start acting all 'buddy-buddy' with me. Eventually I gave in, and we began to occasionally hang out._

 _He was studying to become an engineer, and I, on the other hand, settled for the boring life as a business major. If next semester was going to be equally as lame as this last one had been, I told myself I would look into law, but that was besides the point._

 _Basically what I am trying to say here is, we have close to nothing in common._

 _Over the course of the first term, I learned a lot about Souda. He was a good guy, really handy when it came to fixing any kind of machine or electronic, and he liked to go out on the weekends. He dragged me out of my cave every once in a while to go socialize, though I wasn't really into parties or frats, or whatever. One of his less redeeming qualities, despite attempting to build up a tolerance to alcohol, was his inability to hold his liquor. Luckily for him, I wasn't like some of the other assholes on campus who would somehow manage to find a way to leave his passed out, drunk body on a roof or something, and helped him stumble his way back to his dorm._

 _It didn't matter to him if I was in the mood or not; I always found myself standing like a wallflower in a crowded room with a beer in my hand._

 _Which was exactly what happened last Friday._

 _We had often gone to that particular house, so I had loosened up over time. I was starting to recognize people by their names, hold brief conversations, and had a basic knowledge of all the "regular's", so I called them. There were also people I listed in the "sometimes" category, who would show up once a month or every so often._

 _The host and owner of the apartment was a guy named Kuzuryuu. He was a short guy with an even shorter temper. He seemed responsible and had set some ground rules for everyone to follow, so at least I didn't get the impression I was walking into a place due for a drug bust._

 _On that particular Friday, I happened to be off from work._

 _(I'm trying not to live the broke college student life, but working as a part timer at the local movie theater, scrubbing bathrooms and sweeping up popcorn and straw wrappers, barely covered my mostly ramen noodles diet.)_

 _There had been more people than there usually were. All the "regulars" were accounted for, even the "sometimes'_ _". But the dim room was buzzing with unfamiliar faces. One of which had seemed to catch my eye._

 _I had lost Souda in the crowd ages ago. The last time I saw him, he was chasing after some blonde, leaving me in my usual spot in the kitchen, next to the lone fern decoration whom I had learned to share a mutual unspoken understanding with over the weeks of my visitation._

 _The lights were turned down, and the music was blaring._ _I sipped irritably at my third beer and checked my watch. Another hour had gone by and still no sign or word from my pink haired friend._ _I stood up from the bar stool I was perched on and walked over to the mass of people chatting and dancing in the living room._

 _I shortly learned that bumping into people was inevitable, and that if you weren't already dancing with someone, you were automatically available for grinding on._ _I weaved as best I could through the array of bodies, my head on a swivel as I searched for Souda._ _Finally, popping out on the other side of the cluster, I was able to catch my breath and search for any stains of other people's sweat and beverages on my shirt._

 _That's when he caught my eye. Or_ it, _rather._

 _The unkempt head of snow white...hair? sitting atop a tall, slender figure._ _Another wallflower._

 _He was standing by himself against the wall about ten feet away, watching the crowd I had just come from._

 _I couldn't make out what his face looked like behind the frizzy strands of his bangs, but I could see a sharp jawline and obvious Adam's apple._ _His head was back against the wall, his lanky legs spread about shoulder width apart in front of him. He was wearing a long green coat that wasn't tailored for his body type with his hands in his pockets._

 _What a creep. It's one thing to not participate at a party, but this guy stuck out like a sore thumb, looking either like an addict? Pervert? Stalker? The possibilities were endless, I couldn't decide._

 _I had the unfortunate experience of making eye contact when he noticed me staring at him, but neither one of us made an attempt to break it until I felt a hard slap on my back._

 _"THERE ye'are, I'f been lookin' all over for ya," my friend slurred loudly in my ear over the music._

 _"I seriously doubt that," I said as I caught him from falling on me further._

 _I felt slightly embarrassed to be associated with the man currently using me for balance and dared to look up to see if I was still being watched._

 _There was no one there._

 _"Whad'ya lookin' at Hinata?"_

 _"It's...nothing...let's get you back to your dorm."_

* * *

"I didn't see you there."


	2. Chapter 2

My shift was almost over. One final theatre room to clean, the short walk across the parking lot to campus, up to my dorm room, and then I could finally crash. I had been waiting for this moment since 4pm. It was now almost 11pm, and the movie credits were, _at_ _last,_ about to start rolling. I picked up my broom and dust pan and opened the doors to the darkness of room 7.

Sure enough, the mediocre horror film came to an end, and the screen began to list the director, the producers, the actors and actresses, etc. I had seen (snoozed through) the movie several times already, and the ending theme had become a bothersome white noise to me.

I waited in the dark, elevated hallway for people to start exiting. Men and women and children alike, all leaving their seats and trash for me to pick up behind them. I sighed and trudged up the ramp under the boxes.

Friday nights were always busy, so it would take me longer to clean. I tried calculating the time it would take me to get home as I turned the corner, when I hit something hard, making me stumble back.

"Excuse m _-Oh?_...Oh."

I looked up rubbing my head and met his pale gaze.

His unruly mane was just as I remembered. Loose, frizzy, white curls framed his face. Skin that was sickishly fair was taught to his hollow cheekbones and strong jawline. He had dark circles under his wide grey-green eyes and his lips were thin, a little chapped, and when he spoke, his voice shook a little. Not in a nervous way though, when he composed himself, he sounded oddly confident...

"I didn't see you there."

His voice wasn't at all what I expected. It was thick and raspy, and it sounded like he had to force the air with each syllable.

I thought about the assumptions I had made the week before, and just by the lack of space between us, I could tell that there was definitely something about his character that made red flags come up in my mind. If our faces hadn't been so close, I probably wouldn't have noticed his eyes widen at realization that I had never met him before and _why the hell was his hand still on my shoulder?!_

He ducked his head and muttered some sort of apology, letting his hand linger just a little longer as he walked past me. I could only imagine my dumbfounded expression, even when I heard the door shut moments after his hurry.

That night, for some reason I could not block out the face of the mysterious man from the party.

I narrowed down that he was a local, probably a college student like me, who just happened to be at the same party I was at last week. He didn't seem much like the party type, if anything, he seemed extremely socially awkward, so I didn't really think it was odd for a guy around the age of 20 to go out to the movies alone on a Friday night.

That's not to say though, that I didn't have my suspicions about him.

The next day, I worked the same shift as before. 4-11pm. Same time. Same movie. Same theatre 7.

I opened the door and made my climb up the ramp when all the viewers had left, hesitating before the turn. I shook my head and kept walking, chuckling in embarrassment at my ridiculousness under my breath.

Much to my dismay, when I looked up, _he_ was there, sitting in the middle of the front row, watching the end credits and eating popcorn. I felt my stomach drop and I started to panic internally when I saw him.

The lights came back on and he still didn't seem to notice me standing there, so cleared my throat loudly.

He looked up and our eyes met again.

"The movie is over...this room is closing now," I said, annoyed.

"Oh, please pardon my intrusion, I thought there might be something after the credits that I might have missed yesterday."

He was...polite? And _didn't_ deny the fact that he was here the day before...Still, what kind of whack-job goes to see a movie again just for that?

"...you came and sat through an entire movie you've _already_ seen...for the credits?" I said in disbelief.

"Yes. Sometimes they leave cliffhangers for the sequel at the end."

"...Look," I sighed, "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave, the guy up there is going to turn it off-"

"It will only take a second!"

I rolled my eyes with a huff, waving for the person in projection room to wait a minute. I leaned against my broom stick and watched the final dedication to the movie cross the screen.

Then, unbelievably, undeniably so, there was a short clip that played moments after, that shown a hand rise up from the grave like it was going to claw it's way out of the ground. After that the screen went dark.

I almost couldn't believe it. I guessed they had always shut it off early after everyone left and I started cleaning, but I had never seen, any of the multiple times I've watched it, the very _very_ end of the film.

I looked up towards the white haired man who flashed his perfectly aligned, bright smile at me.

"...that was just luck."

"Ah, you're probably right. I do seem to have a great deal of it," he chuckled to himself as he rose from his chair. "Thank you for being patient with me, I didn't mean to waste time you could be spending, enjoying your night with your friends, outside of your work...I'll get out of your way now."

Somehow I had a feeling I knew what he was implying, and it gave me goosebumps.

He brisked past me, brushing my shoulder once again, leaving me confused and slightly disturbed as I finished my shift.

On my walk home I kept a careful watch on my surroundings to make sure I wasn't being followed back to the dormitories. Call me paranoid, but I even shot Souda a text when I got home if he could check outside his door to see if there were any unusual people on our floor wandering the hallways.

I was relieved when he said no, surprised and grateful that he was home on a Saturday night.

I tried talking myself into believing that the strange man was just a regular college student, who had no friends and had nothing else to do on the weekends but re-watch grade a horror flicks...It was all just a coincidence...


	3. Chapter 3

I was dreading work. I had been all week, leading up to Friday. But there I stood, with my broom and dustpan, under the sign 'theatre 7'. I held my breath as I entered, sticking to the wall like a magnet as the bodies shuffled down the hall and out the door. I didn't hesitate to turn today. If he was there, I was ready. I had been thinking about it all week, and if he thought this was a game I was going to confront him.

This time I could tell he was waiting for me. Sitting in the same chair as before, he rose to his feet and I walked right up to him, not allowing myself to show any sign of weakness. But before I could say anything, he held out his hand, gesturing for me to take it.

"My name is Komaeda."

At that moment I forgot all the lines I had been religiously practicing in my head for the past 6 days. I sat there and stared at it, then stared at him, who stared happily back at me. I narrowed my eyes.

"If I tell you my name, _Komaeda_ ," -no sense in using formalities here- "you'll just be able to stalk me more."

His smile faltered for a moment and he lowered his hand slightly.

"Stalk you? I don't understand what you mean..."

"Then let me define it for you," something I _did_ bother to look up in case he would say just that; "A _stalker_ , is someone who harasses someone else by following them in a threatening manner. Why are you here _again_? Do I need to call security?"

"Threatening? Do you feel threatened by me being here?" A soft laugh emerged from his dry throat.

"Well I can't say I'm not skeptical. Wouldn't you think it's a little more than just a _coincidence_ to see someone _randomly_ appear at your work, in the same theatre _three times_?"

"Hmm...I suppose you have a point..."

"No shit. Now why are you here?"

"Ah, you've caught me...And here I thought you might think of me as being friendly." He held up his hands in defense. "Not that that's ever really worked out for me before," he chuckled, "but I assure you, I mean no harm."

By the look of his face he could tell I wasn't buying it.

"If it's worth anything, I really don't stalk you," he said with a gentle smile. "Otherwise I wouldn't be introducing myself like this out in public." He made a gesture to the projection room window where I could see one of my coworkers sitting on his phone.

I sighed after a long enough moment. "Hinata."

He dropped his hand to his side again, satisfied with my answer.

"And for keeping me here, you can at least help me clean," I pushed the broom and dustpan into his chest.

He gave me a surprised look at first but then smiled his same, creepy smile again. "Certainly, Hinata-kun."

My eyes narrowed and I turned away to grab the spare cleaning supplies by the trash bin without another word.

We swept silently for all of five minutes before he spoke up.

"Do you go to the college around here, Hinata-kun? Not to imply that I follow you around or anything, but we look the same age, and I think I've seen you somewhere before."

Looks like conversing with this guy was inevitable.

"Yeah. And you saw me at a party two weeks ago."

" _Oh!_ I remember now, you were with that one fellow...Are you dating or is he really just that friendly?"

"NO WE AREN'T DATING! We're...friends, I guess."

"Do you go to parties often?"

" _Dragged_ to is a better word for it."

He stopped to look at me thoughtfully. "I see..." His expression changed back to his happy-go-lucky self. "Would you believe that that was the first party I was invited to?"

"Yes, actually, that's exactly what I was thinking," I said, trying to mop up a spilled soft drink.

I saw his feet standing before me and looked up as he laughed airily with his head canted to the side.

"You have an interesting sense of humor, don't you, Hinata-kun? I can see why your friend likes you so much," he said in a low, too-friendly voice.

"Komaeda," I said with a deadpan expression.

"Yes, Hinata-kun?" He responded a little too quickly.

"You're stepping on my foot."

"Oh!" He looked like he had had an epiphany when he realized it and stepped back abruptly.

I rolled my eyes. "Are you always this awkward, or am I just special?"

"I attended private school," he shrugged.

"That explains it..." Though he seemed far from wealthy lineage, I thought, studying his ensemble-not that I cared to get personal.

"You went to public schools, right? Is it much like how college is?"

"Is it that obvious?" I could _really_ go for not having this conversation right now. "And it's...similar. Except at least in college, you can usually distance yourself from all the creeps," I retorted.

"Oh, that must be useful then! Although at my school, I was in isolated studies most of the time..."

I almost legitimately face-palmed.

"I can only imagine why."

"It was always hard for the other students to keep up, so I was assigned my own professor...I always wanted to go to public school," he laughed inwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"..."

What.

" _You_ -people couldn't keep up with _you_? Seriously?"

He nodded.

"And I thought my problems were real. My, have I been mistaken..."

His laugh startled me, and I was afraid he had broken a windpipe. God forbid.

There was a pause after he sighed softly, looking at me with a sincere expression.

"Hinata-kun, I hope other people appreciate your sense of humor like I do. I hope that your friends truly understand all the wonderful colours of your personality that I have been blessed with witnessing this evening. You really are a remarkable person, Hinata-kun. Such a wonderful, hopeful individual in society that stands out in generous, exuberant ways. So many ways that everyone should cherish every minute, no...every _second_ they spend with you! If only everyone could-"

"HOLY SHIT KOMAEDA, TAKE A BREATH! IF I HAVE TO GO GET AN INHALER FROM THE LOST AND FOUND, I WILL, BUT JESUS-!" I said holding his trembling shoulders in place.

His eyes focused on my face again, and not through it. He blinked and looked at me, exhaling slowly. "Ah, sorry about that...I'm easily excited," he chuckled much softer now.

When I felt his blood pressure was no longer in need of immediate medical attention, I let go of his shoulders.

"And this happens...often?"

"Well, it's not very often I meet such an amazing-"

" _DON'T_ go on another tangent," I held my hand firmly over his mouth before I realized it. His warm exhale against my palm made me snatch my hand back.

"Look, Komaeda. You seem like, um-" _psychotic? Demented? Insane? How do I say this. I have to choose my words carefully. He could be lethal...Someone better witness my death_ "-like a great person, really. But, I think that you've been through a lot today, and need to sleep for a really long time, back at your house or car, or wherever it is you came from," I said pulling him down the ramp towards the door.

"Do you mean that, Hinata-kun? Someone with _your_ standards thinks I'm a great person?!"

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

"Yes, I really, _truly_ think that you are probably the most interesting person I have _ever_ encountered my whopping 20 years on this planet, _idon'tknowhowmanyyearsthatiswhereyoucomefrom,_ but you definitely take the cake."

As I was about to pull the door open, his palm slammed it shut, leaving me sandwiched between the two. He said nothing as he stood behind me, unmoving.

 _Shit. This is it. This is how I go. I never even got to enjoy college. I'm dying a virgin. I don't even get to say goodbye to anyone. Souda, I hope you get to finally go on a date with that girl, even though she's totally out of your league. After my death, they better raise the pay here._ I sent out a small prayer.

"Hinata-kun..." It was the same, low, thick voice I heard from our first encounter. It made my skin crawl; how he probably got off to killing his victims so personally. His breath was shaking close to my ear, and the sleeve of his jacket brushed against my own. His body was intimately close to mine.

I couldn't take it any longer.

"Fucking kill me already, I can only brace myself for so long!"

"...kill you?" He spoke again, with a hint of amusement. "Is that what you think this is?"

"No offense, but you're shady as shit. So if you're gonna off me, please do it quickly," I said sternly, with a slight reverberation to my voice.

"Hmph," he chuckled darkly again, and I braced once more. "You're just going to give up that easily? Surely someone as confident and radiant as you could put up a little bit of a fight? Isn't there any ounce of hope left in you that you can make it out of here alive? Anything that will counter this feeling of despair in the face of death?"

"..."

"No? That's too bad..." he sighed, "but, it is what it is." He dropped his hand and stepped back. "Thank you."

"...come again?"

"I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to do on my AP Psyche exam, but I'm pretty confident now, that I'll pass."

"...WHAT?" I spun around so fast, I could feel a muscle pull.

"I'm not here to kill you-or anyone, for that matter, Hinata-kun. I barely know hand-to-hand combat, so you'd have the upper hand anyway. I figured I'd let you at least punch me for using you like this.

"AP PSYCHE _WHAT_?!"

"I'm a psychology major, ironically enough."

"AND YOUR HOMEWORK WAS TO FAKE SOMEONE OUT INTO THINKING YOU WERE A SERIAL KILLER?!"

"Oh, no, that part I did on my own...The assignment was to write a thesis on human behavior in a life and death situation and then another on the psychosis of the perpetrator. I just took the liberty to create the scenario and jog my memory a bit...I can't say that it wasn't thrilling however..." he mumbled, into his hand.

"Okay who are you? Why should I believe-no, why am I still _talking_ to you? That's it. I'm calling security," I said grabbing the door handle.

"Wait! Before you do, I meant what I said!" He spun me back around to face him with a slightly panicked expression and his hands on my shoulders. "I think you have a very unique sense of humor, Hinata-kun, and I'm glad I chose you to be my pretend victim..." he confessed honestly, "l know after this you'll never want to see my face again, but I really wish I could have gotten to know you...I'm sorry to have it end like this-"

He placed a hand under my chin and I watched him place a chaste kiss upon my lips, holding it there for a moment, before stepping back. His gaze never met mine as he stepped around me and walked out the door.

I stood there in awe at the moment of mixed emotions I was experiencing, bringing my own hands to where his lips had met mine. "Ko...maeda..."


	4. Chapter 4

The next week was back to the usual routine. Or, _almost_ usual. There had been no coincidental sightings (or purposefully 'accidental' ones, for that matter) of that frizzy mess of white hair at work _or_ campus.

I didn't realize before how unaware I had been of my surroundings until this week. Walking to and from classes, the cafeteria, coffee runs, and back to the dorm...I had been taking it all for granted. After the 'incident', my head had been on swivel since I received the knowledge that my pursuer was also a fellow college student.

I did doubt though, that after our last encounter, I was no longer a part of Komaeda's little 'experiment'-or so I kept telling himself. But realistically, after making an impression like that? Komaeda would indefinitely be asking-no, _begging_ for a restraining order.

For safe measure, I was more social the following week, strictly sticking mostly in groups and rarely being out alone after school hours. That way if my not-so-low-key stalker decided to show up, at least I wouldn't be totally defenseless. And in any case, there would be witnesses.

Every Wednesday morning before my Economics class, I'd swing by the Starbucks on the East wing of the campus where most of my classes were. There weren't many people up and about at this hour, but there was a comforting feeling that came from the early birds who managed to also pull themselves out of bed at 7 A.M., so I wasn't too worried.

I ordered my regular beverage and took a seat by the window, propping open my old, Toshiba laptop. I had had a new project on mind lately; one not exactly academic related. Connecting to the wireless internet I clicked on the icon to the school browser.

"K-O-M-A-E-D-A", I typed.

I was surprised to see that there were few results. No Facebook pages, no twitter, or other social media accounts popped up that resembled anyone looking like the man I had met two weeks ago.

"Hmm..."

Of course, Komaeda was smart enough not to tell me his first name. Huh, who knows if Komaeda isn't an alias? That didn't help much either when I tried going through the list of all the schools attendees.

I huffed a defeated sigh and sat back in the chair, scratching at the keys with my fingernails, not knowing what to type next. I didn't exactly want to _ask_ people if they knew who he was-actually my fear was that everyone else knew something about Komaeda I didn't want to know.

 _"I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to do on my AP Psyche exam, but I'm pretty confident now, that I'll pass."_ The breathily voice rang through my mind, making my neck hair strand on end.

I went back to the school's homepage and searched for all the AP Psychology classes. There were many, and I couldn't narrow them down enough to check which students were in which classes, but the homework schedules were posted publicly. 6 of the 10 had already had their exams, and 4 of the 6 were targeted towards students my age-not that that meant a whole lot necessarily, since I had no idea what Komaeda's exact age was, _nor_ could I be sure if he was lying when he said he was taught separately for being too intelligent...Perhaps he was in one of the junior or senior classes?

I rubbed my eyes, agitatedly accepting that I wasn't going to get anywhere with what limited information I had. Hell, I couldn't tell what was a lie and what was the truth, coming from someone as creepy and cracked out as Komaeda. I didn't know anything. What was I even trying to accomplish by googling him anyway? Why couldn't I just move on with my uneventful, so called life and forget any of it ever happened?

Staring blankly through the words of the dark, sleep-mode sceen, I focused on my scowling reflection. I tried to imagine myself facing my opponent; his sickishly fair skin, exhausted, pale eyes, and overall malnourished appearance. My eye twitched irritably at the thought.

Enough was enough, I figured, as I closed the monitor. Tossing the bag over my shoulder, I grabbed my cold, half empty cup of coffee and headed to class. If I _really_ wanted to gather information, I was going to have to try harder than this.

Halfway through Japanese Lit it came to me that Komaeda may have used a credit or debit card to buy his movie ticket. As far fetched as that was, I debated whether or not it was worth a shot to call my work about it later. On my way back to my dorm, I decided to stop by the RA's office to ask if there was a student with name "Komaeda" living in this chain of dormitories. Of course when they checked, no matches were found.

I set my things down immediately when I got to my room and dialed my work. To my dismay, they had also come up with no results until-

"Oh wait, here it is. Do you mean ' _Nagito_ Komaeda'?" the gruff voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Nagito...it could be. That's the only Komaeda that came up right?"

"Yeah, 'says they were here last Saturday to watch that stupid horror flick...Huh? That's odd."

"...W-what is it?"

"They were here the day before _and_ the Friday before that? Weird."

Bingo.

"That really helps! Thank you for looking into it!"

"Yep, sure thing, Hinata."

Then the line disconnected.

Nagito... _Nagito._

"Nagito Komaeda..."

Later that night I was able to find a single result. One I didn't want to and would never be able to unsee.

It was a blog, but not just _any_ blog. I don't know what dared me to, but I had found myself searching his name and my name together...and what I found was undeniably, un _mistakeably_ his work.

I swallowed despite the dryness of my throat as a read aloud,

 _"My victim, Hajime."_

My eyes stung as I read the text of the screen, unblinking.

 _Last updated : Sunday, March 11, at 2:37am_

 _"Never did I think in my entire, mediocre, dismal life would I meet someone so remarkable, so delightful and selfless as Hajime._

 _If it's not too presumptuous, I honestly, wholeheartedly, mean it when I say, something within me changed-something shifted inside me, just breathing the same air as Him."-THAT IS DEFINITELY TOO ALARMINGLY_ _PRESUMPTUOUS_ - _"I couldn't help myself after my experimental outing to what seemed like an ordinary social event-something I never even deserved to be invited to in the first place-and how unrightfully spoiled I felt after meeting His glance for the first time. For someone with His importance to spend a moment of His day acknowledging my presence? You could say I was lucky in more than one way..."-WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!-"I'm ashamed of how much I depended on my luck that week...I kept wanting-HOPING, that if I could just...watch him again..._

 _It's only expected of me to be so greedy, so low of me, really...But that's just what I am; a low-life college student with no place in this world. What garbage I truly am...But hope always wins, I suppose. A_ _week later, we met again, closer this time-more personal. Our encounter was brief, but I knew, taking a closer look into His eyes, that I selfishly needed more...So I returned, wasting even more of his valuable time...I just couldn't help myself! His greatness and hopefulness, and beaming personality was just too enticing!"-WHY ARE THERE SO MANY EXCLAMATION POINTS?!_ _"What a coincidence that the third time, I was able to pull my incompetent self together enough to exchange conversation...It's a miracle, honestly, that he took the time to even spare His words and patience with me!_

 _I'm just so gluttonous though, because I went back a FOURTH time. He even put me in my place on cleaning duty! Something someone as dull and useless and me could actually do! A way I could be of use to Him! (That's when he told me his name, "Hinata", I had to research the rest.)_

 _"I'm just too disgustingly avaricious, because I urged to get closer, I ALLOWED myself, someone with MY class to lay a hand on Him! It's like I lost myself in those moments of excitement, pressing forward-literally and physically! His response was obvious, rightful, objection, and that's exactly how it should be! My filth-"_

 _"_ AGHHHHHHHHHH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

I didn't realize how much I had been panting and sweating, and how my body trembled in spasms every time I blinked. I covered my ringing ears with my hands, taking deep breaths.

"H-he's crazy! HE'S FUCKING CRAZY!"

My hand shook as I fumbled for the mouse pad, scrolling down to see how much more Komaeda had shamelessly written about me...I couldn't believe I had almost made it to the end of the post...Fear and uncertainty is what possessed me to read the ending-which just tormented my already upset stomach and migraine, but it was the last line-the last fucking line-that did it all for me. That made me cave, made my paranoia spike far more than realistic limitations. I felt the tears brimming, stinging my bloodshot eyes, as I read over the times new roman font once again:

 _"How was that, Hinata-kun?"_


	5. Chapter 5

I wouldn't call it stalking...

Well, maybe to Hinata-kun, he had justifiable reasons to thinking that...I thought, closing the monitor of my laptop.

I'd rather call it something like...taking a personal interest or liking to, a certain someone.

I sat back against the tree I was using for shade in one of the University's many parks.

So maybe I over did it, creating a blog about him, directed specifically to him? It isn't surprising in the least, that someone like me could leave something so poorly written with such tasteless humor on the internet. Whoever's poor soul had the unfortunate experience of even reading the first sentence of that sad excuse of a confession letter, has my most sincere apologies...My reason behind it?

To put it simply, I was testing him; the same thing I had been doing the past month, challenging him to surface the hope that sleeps within my new acquaintance, Hajime Hinata-kun.

I could tell just by basic things, such as his manor of speaking, his vocabulary, body language, and from the brief conversations we had held, that there was something about him...a longing, perhaps? Maybe for someone or some event, to completely turn over what he viewed to be an average and dull everyday life.

Call me crazy, idiotic, presumptuous, but something within me-something giving me copious amounts of hope, was telling me that I was the one that could do this for him; I could awaken it. Somehow I believed that this was what would prove my true worth of existence.

I will say, that I hadn't planned on ever seeing him after that party-that was just my incredible luck. However, it was more than just another lucky coincidence that I saw him the following weekend; from there on after, everything had full purpose.

Perhaps, it was also just my luck that my Psychology class insinuated my pursuit. After all, if I didn't have some excuse, even one as ridiculous and pathetic as that, motivating me, I can't say that I would have actually gone through with my operation with such ease.

Executing my experiment was something I had spent many hours between the weekends preparing for. Even up to this point, by creating that blog. I very well knew that after our last encounter, his curiosity wouldn't hold him back from doing the same information gathering I had already been doing on him. It may have taken a few painful, despairing days to try to exhaust the memory of my existence, but I'm just too much of a nuisance for anyone, really. Surely someone would be driven mad with uncertain thoughts of me lingering around in their brain; hence, my reason for leaving clues for him to follow to uncover the mystery of my identity.

I knew ahead, that if I used my credit card the times that followed when I visited his work, he would, with his hope compelling him, get frustrated with Google and start to think outside the box. Things like, what if I'm not really who I say I am? Do I really go to college, let alone the same one he attends? Was I just joking to begin with? Am I really just a sociopath with too much time on my hands, and he just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time?

All these things he had to take into consideration. That being said, if I was going to play my cards directly, he would have to learn from trial and error, that he would have to play likewise. Unlucky for him though, I had the winning hand.

It was only a matter of time until he would find the inexcusable letter I left for him on the Net. Almost a week had passed, so if he hadn't discovered it now, well, he had a few minutes left until I would initiate my next phase of action.

I stood from my resting place, dusting off the blades of grass, I had been anxiously plucking as I waiting for the time to pass until my watch finally read, 2:30 PM.

I gathered my belongings, hauling my laptop bag over my shoulder. Today, if things played out the way I was anticipating, I would be formally introduced to Hinata-kun by his friend, Kazuichi Souda.

I had memorized Souda-kun's routes between classes. His Physics class ended at 2:30 on Fridays. He then had 45 minutes in between when his Biology class would start at 3:15. The buildings where each of the classes were held weren't too far apart and there was a Starbucks on the way, where he would always stop by on his break.

I began to walk casually towards it, headphones in, but silent. I waited around the corner pretending to be reading through one of my notebooks, using my peripheral vision to seek out brightly dyed, pink hair. Surely enough, he appeared right on schedule, wearing Chuck Taylor's, a black beanie, jeans, and one of his many, brightly colored, band T-shirts. I've noticed that he has a variety.

Completely unaware of my existence, I followed him into the coffee shop. Upon entering, I was overwhelmed with the strong scent of various coffee blends, teas, and several other unfamiliar aromas. The room was warmer than outside, seeing as how the days were getting shorter and shorter as winter fell upon us. It was decorated with wooden and stone features, and had a very modern style to it. There was a decent sized line as I fell into place behind my future acquaintance.

My palms started to get clammy when my gaze dropped down to the shorter man scrolling idly on his phone. My heart rate sped up and I could feel the adrenaline circulating throughout my entire body. It was amazing, being this close to someone so dear to Hinata-kun-

"Kazuichi-chaaan!" a high pitch voice shrieked from behind the coffee bar, nearly dropping the scalding cup of whatever hot liquid she was preparing.

She was a shorter girl, with long, black hair and bold, platinum highlights. She stood out like a sore thumb in a crowd of relatively hipster college students. Her bright roseate eyes were even brighter than her ear to ear grin. She had several lip piercings, and spiky jewelry entirely aligning the cartilage of both ears.

"Souda-san! It is good to see you!"

Another female stood behind the register, this one, looking more normal, other than the unnaturally graceful aura she had about herself. She had long blonde hair, tied up in a ponytail with some intricate braided headband and a black bow. Her sparkling green eyes and heartwarming smile would make any man fall for her, and I could tell by the expression Souda-kun was wearing, he had already fallen a victim.

"Good afternoon, Sonia-san~," he spoke formally.

"Aaaahhh! Ibuki has been denied of Kazuichi-chan's greeting agaaain!"

"What can I get for you today?" the blonde asked politely. "Would you like your usual?"

"Y-you remembered?! I'm honored that a princess remembers something as trivial as that!" he said with practical hearts in his eyes.

Princess?

The girl giggled and waved off awkwardly. "Just because I have royalty in my bloodline, does not make me an actual princess."

"You never know! One day someone might contact you saying that you're the new ruler of- What was it again?"

"Novocelic."

"Yeah! That!"

The sound of the man clearing his throat behind me, signaled for the two to conclude their brief chat.

When it was my turn to order, I hadn't really thought about what I wanted.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"Huh?"

"To drink? Can I take your order?"

"O-oh...Sorry this is all new to me…I'm usually the one taking orders...I'm not accustomed to being asked what I want…" I mumbled inwardly to my hand.

"Umm," she started to say, awkwardly, "is there...anything you're in the mood for?"

"Hmm...You wouldn't happen to have anything citrusy? Perhaps orange flavored?"

I noticed a second pair of magenta eyes, waiting for his drink, shift my way as I said that.

Did I say something that interested you Souda-kun?

"We do have a drink called a Valencia Orange Refresher? It is similar to that of an orange flavored iced tea."

"Oh! I'll try that then," I said cheerfully.

She smiled back at me as she rung up my order. After I paid and tipped the baristas, I waited alongside the coffee bar for my drink. I went to wait for my drink next to Souda-kun, keeping just enough breathing space between us.

Perhaps it was my obscene appearance or unwanted company that seemed to follow me everywhere, that had gotten me used to the strange looks and staring gazes I received whenever I was out in public. It's only natural though, for someone like myself, to be so out of place.

I twiddled with a loose curl of my hair absentmindedly, as if I had all the time in the world.

In reality, I was anticipating every second as I stood there, waiting...hoping that my undoubtedly good luck would let everything fall precisely into place.

"Grande Valencia Orange Refresher," the first girl called quickly behind the counter.

And just like that, my drink was ready first.

I reached over for the cup of straws, tearing the wrapper off and inserting it into my drink. As I did so, I wedged my thumbnail perfectly into the tight space where the lid hung over the sides of the beverage. In the corner of my eye, I saw the slow movement of Souda-kun's hand reaching for his latte. All the sounds around me were muddled out by my rapid heart beating in my ears and thoughts running through my mind. Within an instant, several things unfolded.

People were jumping back away from the splash; the small slices of oranges hit the floor with a splat; the clatter of ice cubes bouncing off the ground into the pool that surrounded them resounded in the otherwise, now silent, atmosphere; a gasp from behind the register; and many surprised faces.

The most important one being-

"Ah, don't worry about it," the pink haired boy said, casually, in the midst of me profusely apologizing.

"Really, I'm so clumsy, I shouldn't be allowed in public," I said, quite flustered, dabbing paper towels against his shirt.

"Th-that's really not necessary," he said, obviously uncomfortable at our close proximity, taking them from my hands.

After the incident, I insisted he come with me to the nearest restroom so he could be cleaned off properly. The baristas offered me a drink on the house, but I assured them it wasn't necessary, and that drying my soon-to-be friend off was a priority.

"It's really not even that bad, plus my next professor canceled today's lecture. I can just swing by my dorm, not too far from here," he smiled reassuringly as I met his gaze directly for the first time.

There was definitely something about the man standing before me that I couldn't quite place my finger on...but if I had to guess, he hadn't always been so...alternative. His smile was certainly...uncommon, to say the least, and his eye colour almost matched his hair. And-

"Is that eyeliner you're wearing?" I wondered aloud.

His smile faltered briefly and he scratched the back of his neck, avoiding to meet my eyes.

"Eh, I mean, girls are into that kind of stuff, right?" he said, sounding slightly embarrassed.

This certainly put things into perspective about who Hinata-kun surrounded himself with…Not that I'm in any position to judge.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it in a bad way!" I said waving my hands. "It's just not something I've noticed was a trend."

"Oh…"

I went to grab him more paper towels, and when I turned back to face him, he wore a skeptical expression.

I immediately felt uneasy, the hairs on my neck began to stand on end, and I started to break into a cold sweat. As if on cue:

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

My stomach dropped, feeling nauseous that I had been found out.

I had always kept an overly precaucious distance between us when I followed him around school. I couldn't imagine him being that observant of his surroundings…

"I don't recall meeting you before," I feigned my confidence with a very certain smile, tilting my head to the side to muse him.

"Hmm...You just look so familiar...Maybe I saw you in high school?"

"Ah, I doubt that. I attended private school."

"Orientation?"

"I was sick that day."

"Sports game?"

"I'm kind of a shut-in…"

"An auto mechanics repair shop?"

"I don't own a car."

"Hmm...you just really stick out, ya know? I feel like I know you from somewhere."

I'm not the only one…

"I really don't think you ha-"

"Wait." He interjected.

I held my breath.

"What's your name?"

"M-my name?"

"Yeah, we didn't introduce ourselves yet."

Hiding my nervousness, I gave him my brightest smile yet.

"I suppose we haven't, how inconsiderate of me," I laughed, embarrassed at my lack of politeness. "My name is Komaeda, pleased to meet you." I held out my hand for him to take it, awaiting his reaction.

"Komaeda, huh?...Sounds mysterious," he said tapping his chin in thought.

I released the breath I had been holding all this time, relieved that Hinata-kun hadn't mentioned me to his friend.

"Kazuichi Souda, nice'ta meetcha," he said with a firm shake to my hand.

I smiled warmly back at him.

His phone started vibrating in his pocket, playing some unfamiliar japanese rock song. He looked up at me, and I nodded for him to take the call, so he excused himself, only stepping a few feet away.

"Yooo, you still coming tonight?"

I looked down to check my own phone to check the time, allowing him some privacy-despite how loudly and openly he spoke.

"What do you mean, no? You're always making excuses not to go out. Come on, it's Friday night-...Oh, it was cancelled...I went to see Sonia and Ibuki and ran into someone; where are you?...You have to come out of your room sometime, Hinata."

My ears instantly perked up at that...had he just said what I think he did?

"I'll drag you there myself if I have to…" he said flatly. "Okay. See you in 20."

He clicked off his phone and faced me again.

"Ah, sorry about that, I've got a pretty stubborn friend."

"Oh, no, it's my fault, I seem to have taken up quite a bit of your time!" I thought for a moment..."Unlike you, I don't have anyone ever waiting on me, so I always seem to drag myself everywhere I go without care. I don't want to waste anymore of your time," I smiled politely and began to turn towards the exit.

It took a moment before he spoke up, but-

"You mean, you don't have anything going on tonight?"

I came to a stop with my hand on the door handle, and spoke up. "I don't usually..." I drifted off. "I don't have anyone to go out with...I'd probably bore them to death or become too much of a nuisance."

"Why don't you come to the party I'm going to tonight? Meet some new people? It's plus one...That's always what I'm trying to get my buddy to do...it might do him good to meet someone he has that in common with!" I couldn't help but crack a wide smile as footsteps approached me.

I turned to face him when he stopped beside me, opening the door for us.

"Only if you insist? Perhaps it would help my case as well! It is rather pitiful of me to not at least try to socialize."

"That's the spirit!" He said smacking his hand roughly on my shoulder before walking out first. I quickly followed him as he took something out of his pocket.

He suddenly grabbed my hand and rolled up my jacket sleeve.

"Here's the address," he said, scribbling something on the back of my hand. "It's at the apartment complex not too far from here. I'll meet you out front at 8:30. Sound good?"

"Souda-kun, I can't even begin to show my thanks. No one has gone out of their way to do something so nice to me before!"

"No problem man," he said clicking the pen, finding its way back to where it came from.

"I won't tolerate tardiness, though," he said sternly, but smiled again.

"Of course, I'd never have you wait on someone of the likes of me."

"Alright, then see you at 8:30!"

I watched him jog away, probably back to his dorm to change his mostly dry shirt, and get ready for the party.

Luck must have really been on my side today, I thought, looking up into the clear, cool, sky.


End file.
